Keeping a Closer Eye on Content ROI

Donovan Neale-May Executive Director

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council

CONTENT IS KEY TO AUTHORITY LEADERSHIP MARKETING

Market Clout Comes from Content Clarity, Credibility & Relevance

The CMO Council Introduction

• Global channel of insight, access & influence• Advisory boards in six geographic regions• 4,500 members controlling $125 billion in annual spend

• Prolific source of thought leadership and knowledge transfer

• Advocacy agendas based on peer-level engagement

• Content delivery and tracking through multiple channels

New Strategic Initiatives

• Global Operational Marketing Models

• Individualized Lifecycle Marketing

• Marketing Supply Chain and Supplier Management

• Customer Analytics, Voice and Experience

• Brand Value, Loyalty, Affinity and Advocacy

• Online Marketing Performance & Digital Media

More strategic initiatives >>

Recent Studies & Reports

Authority Leadership Marketing is a New Imperative…

• Over 65 percent of U.S. BtoB buyers turn to the Internet first when researching technology solutions (eMarketer)

• Some 22 percent of global marketing spend ($1.5 trillion) is allocated to content origination, publication, syndication and promotion (Interwoven)

• Online content investments are growing at staggering rates driven by multiplying formats, channels, audiences, platforms and consumption rates

Define What You Value Online – Research Findings

• Online content has a moderate to major impact on vendor preferences and selections, say 90 percent of IT buyers and specifiers

• Only 22 percent of respondents say they are “very satisfied” with the caliber of technology content

• White papers are the most popular type of content downloaded and shared with peers, report 58 percent of participants

Pet Peeves About Technology Content Online…

• Hype and puffery of offerings• Poor communication of value proposition• Lack of ROI evidence and proof-points• Long-winded and verbose descriptions• Absence of real-world success stories

Keep a Closer Eye on Your Content ROI…

• Content is a commodity and needs added value

• Just like “fresh produce” Content freshness, relevance and integrity is key

• Harvesting, packaging, delivery and consumption is critical

• Impact on sales and business outcomes has to be tracked

Content is a Commodity…Just like Produce

• Mass produced and readily available

• Delivered in many ways (fresh, frozen, canned, processed, ready-to-eat, etc.)

• Widely consumed and affordably priced

• Easy and relatively inexpensive to gather

• Relatively indistinguishable and undifferentiated

• Highly perishable with limited shelf life

Content is a Commodity…Just like Produce

How Does Information Content Differ from Produce?It is a lot more than cultivation, harvesting, packaging, fresh delivery and consumption. It’s all about authority leadership, strategic agenda-setting and influencing buyer-specifier audiences.

The Need for Authority Leadership

• Meaningful and valued content is driven, shaped and inspired by peer-based perspectives, market conversations, business problems and customer points-of-view.

• Vendors must deliver content products that interpret, illustrate, translate, advocate, validate, demonstrate, enlighten, engage, and predispose.

What Counts in Credible Content Origination?

Source >

Value >

Validity >

Relevance >

Timeliness >

Context >

Affiliation >

Presentation >

Appearance >

Perceived Objectivity

Addresses Issues

Fact-Based

Hits Pain Points

Currency, Shifts, Trends

Resonates with the Reader

Co-Authoring & Development

Data Visualization, Pictograms

Formatting, Style, Design

Content Performance and Effectiveness Tracking

• Volume of downloads and requests• Forward and pass-along rates• Read, retention and recall levels• Click throughs and web site traffic• Resulting inquiries and RFIs• Influence in defining needs and requirements• Impact on selling cycles and conversion rates• Incidence of reference and use by sales• Pick up and utilization by opinion leaders, blogs• Impact on shaping customer perceptions• News media coverage, tonality and sentiment

Leads + Feedback

Intelligent Market EngagementTM Model

Gaining Access, Influence & Insight

Qualified Prospect

Harvesting & Profiling

Performance Measurement

Media RelationsMarket conditioning & brand recognition

Hosted EventsContent origination & relationship building

Speakers BureauTargeted audience engagement

Mailings & SyndicationPoint-of-view marketing/prospect harvesting

Webcasts/ConferencesPoint to multi-point communications

eMail & eNewslettersPersonalized communications

Multi- Channel Delivery

Affinity Network

Research & Surveys

Optimize Messaging

Strategic Value Selling

Authority Leadership Advocacy Agenda

Point-of-View Platforms & Content

What Does It Deliver?

• Market prominence and credibility• Predisposed and conditioned targets• Qualified leads and opportunities• A strategic value-selling platform• Prospect conversations and

relationships• “Surround sound” of partnerships

and alliances

RelationshipsLead Sourcing

DialoguesBriefings

AffiliationPartnerships

QualitativeInterviewing

ConferencePanels

SpeakingEngagement

CommitteeFormation

• 300 - plus participants

• 2,000 - plus channels; Scores of downloads

• Millions of Exposures

• Hundreds of Participants

• Scores of viewings

• Qualified introductions

Web Conference

MediaCoverage

ReportSyndication

On-DemandWebcast

PartnerReferral

SurveyFielding

IME Value Creating Components

Acceleration of Eco-OperationLean & GreenThink Eco-LogicalBusiness Traction from Better Decision ActionComply on the FlyThe Alert EnterpriseThe Remote RevolutionCEE the FutureCrunch Time Global Competitiveness AuditMarket Vigilance, Product DiligenceUptime @ Crunch TimeSoftware Drain vs. Business Gain

IME Campaign Examples

More programs >>

Contact

For more information on how the CMO Council can help you ASSESS YOUR CONTENT ROI contact:

Bryan DeRose Business Development DirectorChief Marketing Executive (CMO) Council 4151 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303

650.433.4144 bderose@cmocouncil.org